Federal prosecutors in New York have turned up the heat on Sean “Diddy” Combs, adding fresh charges to his already hefty legal woes. The Bad Boy founder, currently facing racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution counts, got hit with a third superseding indictment just weeks before his trial. Here’s what’s new and what it means.
New Charges, Same Fight
The updated indictment, filed on April 3, 2025, tacks on two more charges: another count of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and an additional count of transportation to engage in prostitution. This brings Diddy’s total to five criminal charges. Prosecutors say these new allegations span 2021 to 2024 and center on “Victim-2,” a plaintiff already tied to an existing lawsuit—not a new accuser. They claim Combs “recruited, enticed, harbored, transported, and maintained” Victim-2, forcing her into commercial sex acts through coercion, fraud, or force.
There’s more: the indictment alleges kidnapping and even says Combs dangled Victim-2 over a balcony. Heavy stuff—but his legal team’s pushing back hard.
Diddy’s Defense: “Consent, Not Coercion”
Combs’ lawyers aren’t fazed. They fired back, saying, “These are not new allegations or new accusers. These are the same individuals, former long-term girlfriends, who were involved in consensual relationships. This was their private sex life, defined by consent, not coercion.” They’re sticking to their guns, denying everything and betting the “truth will prevail” when the trial kicks off on May 5, 2025. A pretrial conference is set for April 25, so the clock’s ticking.
What’s Next for the Mogul?
Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges since his arrest in September 2024. The original case already had him facing racketeering (the lone single-count charge), sex trafficking, and prostitution-related accusations tied to a decades-long pattern. Now, with these new counts, the stakes are even higher. If convicted, he’s looking at a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to life behind bars.
For now, he’s locked up in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, denied bail multiple times over flight risk and witness-tampering fears. His team’s still fighting, but with trial less than a month away, the pressure’s on.
